Why policewomen offered safety pins to devotees . . .

So why were policewomen distributing safety pins to women who were attending the ther ( chariot) and arabathimoovar processions of the Panguni festival in Mylapore last week?

Simple.

To use these pins to secure their neck gold chains and pin them to their blouses or saris and make it difficult for thieves from making off with jewellery.

Police said that such thieves, and many are women who work in packs are active at large temple festivals and in the rush, sniping off gold chains comes easy to them.

Police have been distributing the safety pins the past years. By talking to women devotees it helped to warn them to the dangers of chain snatching.

This action came in for praise from many Mylaporeans who were offered the pins last week on the mada streets.